In 2006, Skilling was sentenced to 24 years in jail for conspiracy, securities fraud, insider trading and lying to auditors about Enron. The company manipulated its books to conceal massive losses, and collapsed in 2001, while Skilling made millions selling his shares.

According to industry data, about 20,000 ex-Enron employees lost an estimated $1.3 billion as a result of the firm’s meltdown.

In questions from the bench, Sonia Sotomayor, the only justice to sit as a federal trial judge, said she would probably vote to give Skilling a new trial. She noted that the trial judge failed to weed out a potentially biased juror who had lost about $60,000 in the scandal.

“I would find it strange that we would permit jurors who are victims of the crime to serve as jurors, ” Sotomayor said.